Falling for Fall

I didn't forget about this blog, I have just been putting it off! I started it, then moved across the country, and now, a good 6 months after my previous post, I'm ready to give this another shot!

I started putting my Halloween decorations up this morning. Halloween is my FAVORITE! I love silly whimsical symbols of death and terror and I especially love costumes! I can already see that I have passed this crazy fever on to my 4-year-old son. He told me after we were done with the decorations that Halloween is his favorite. It talks like me too. (He refers to food as tasty-tasty, etc.)

Fall is by far my favorite time of year! I love the downhill slope in temperature after borderline suicidally hot summers. I love the colors of the leaves (SO glad to be back in Missouri this year!). I love jeans. I love sweaters. I love raking. I love baking. I love pumpkins. I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice coffee, and pumpkin bread. I love drinking coffee at any time of day. I love having the windows open in the house. I love going for drives. I love going for walks. I love to take pictures of it all. I love planning for birthday parties, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

For our family, the holiday season starts in mid-September. First we have my husband's birthday, then in mid-October, we have my daughter's birthday, then Halloween. Then, when Thanksgiving comes around, the rest of the world is just getting into holiday-mode, we've already been in it for a month or two. GO US! Or me, at least, I can't say that my husband really cares about the official starting point for the holiday season. I try to make a big deal out of every special occasion. I LOVE that we have 4 events in fall to celebrate, as if celebrating the change in season wasn't enough!

We still have a month until Halloween. My son doesn't have a grasp on measured time yet, so he thinks Halloween is next weekend, or super soon, anyway. He'll come around, though! We definitely need that month to figure out what we will dress up as. He has been bouncing through several ideas: Transformer, devil, puppy, spider, etc. Last year he was a banana and I couldn't have been more proud of him! Evelyn and I might be cats. Or dogs. It kind of depends on what Harvey chooses. Evelyn is obsessed with cats right now and although a cat costume isn't very original for a Hallofien like myself, it would be pretty cute to see her say "Meow" while dressed as a cat!

Thanksgiving should be a new experience for us this year. It will be our first year back in Missouri after being gone for 6 years or so. Hopefully my husband will be home by then. This has been a ridiculous waiting process (medical discharge from the army). I have been married for 5 ½ years and literally never have had to share ourselves during the holidays. I look forward to having dinner with family! Bring on the turkey, yo!

I am also a planning person. I try to try to savor the moment instead of constantly trying to figure out what we should do down the road. (Yes, I meant to say “try to try to”.) I love fall with all my heart and I try to hold on to it with all that I have because I hate winter! Once Christmas is over, it is just irritatingly cold and dull and depressing... and Christmas is only 4 days into the winter season.... so....

GO FALL!